The only char siu recipe you need to make juicy flavorful pork with a sweet glossy glaze, just like you’d get at a Cantonese restaurant. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
Hailing from Guangdong province in the south of China, char siu or barbecued pork is one of the darlings of dim sum, firmly in the catalog of Cantonese cuisine.
It doesn’t do the dish justice, merely to describe char siu with words. But it is a lean cut of barbecued pork, given a deep red color and shiny coating from the glaze. And it’s famously sweet. However, simply calling it sweet does not convey the complex flavors that result from the long marinating process.
The name Char Siu (or Cha Shao), literally means ‘fork roast’ due to the traditional way of cooking. After marinating, the pork is hung on a special fork and placed in the oven for roasting. During the roasting, the chef will baste the pork with a sugary glaze many times, giving it that appetizing glossy look.
A good char siu should be slightly chewy, juicy, with a vibrant, rich color and an equally alluring aroma. There are so many char siu recipes out there that simply yield a sweet piece of pork. For me, it’s important to create a good marinade base to give the cut a fragrant taste, and add just enough sweetness to complete it. That’s why you will see a lot of fresh aromatics and maybe less sugar in this recipe.
Cooking notes
1. Recipe update
The recipe was originally published three years ago. Over the years I’ve been trying to perfect the process. Today I’m sharing an updated version.
In this version I made a few small changes:
- Added molasses to the marinade to give the pork a better glaze.
- Reduced the soy sauce to create a thicker sauce, so it hangs onto the pork during roasting.
- Used maltose so the pork will have a glossy look, like in Cantonese restaurants.
- Simplified the baking and basting process.
2. What cut of pork for Char Siu
In this recipe I used pork tenderloin which is the lean cut traditionally used in Cantonese restaurants. You can also use pork loin if you want a slightly cheaper cut. Some people enjoy Chinese BBQ pork made from a fattier cut, for example, pork leg, or even pork belly. You can adapt the recipe according to your preference.
No matter which cut you use, you should cut it into pieces about 2” (6 cm) wide and 1”(3 cm) thick, so the baking time will remain the same.
3. An introduction to Maltose
Maltose is a super thick syrup that’s commonly used in traditional Chinese cooking. It is the secret ingredient that gives the char siu its beautiful glossy look.
Maltose is made from rice and malt. At room temperature, it’s ten times thicker than your regular syrup. It won’t fall from the cup if you hold it upside down. If you dig your spoon into it, it will feel very tough and difficult to stir. It will become more runny once heated up, but still quite sticky. That’s why it gives the BBQ pork a better glaze that sticks to the surface.
To use maltose, I usually microwave the jar for 20 seconds to get the surface softened. Otherwise it’s very hard to measure the correct amount. Once heated up, the sugar gets VERY HOT. Avoid touching the hot sugar with your hand.
A quick tip: coat your measuring spoon with a thin layer of oil before scooping out the maltose. The sugar will fall from the spoon much easier.
These days you can easily get maltose on Amazon, although you can also get a jar for less than two bucks at an Asian market.
If you don’t want to use maltose, you can use honey to replace it. The coating will not stick as well but it will still end up delicious.
4. Workflow
Making char siu is a two-step process. If you plan ahead and get organized, it’s quite simple to make.
(1) Mix the sauce and marinate one day before cooking
- You will use half of the sauce to marinate the pork. To give the pork as much flavor as possible, make sure to marinate it overnight.
- Cook the other half of the sauce with maltose. Store it in a jar to use for the glaze.
(2) Roast (or grill) the pork
- Set up your oven or heat up the grill.
- Brush the glaze over the pork multiple times while roasting (or grilling). To make the sauce stick better, use a brush to dab the glaze onto the pork.
- Cook until the pork reaches 165 degrees F (74 C) and is lightly charred on the surface.
- Rest the pork covered loosely with foil. Then brush on the final layer of glaze.
That’s it! Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it?
5. Leftovers
Here is the best part. Usually when you have leftovers, they are just waiting to be reheated and consumed the same way. Not with char siu!
If there is any leftover char siu, you can use it to make many popular dishes such as char siu fried noodles, char siu fried rice, steamed char siu buns, baked char siu buns, char siu pastries, and much more. And you’re not just limited to traditional Cantonese dim sum – Lilja and I just made these scallion biscuits with char siu gravy using the drippings we collected from the pan.
Afterthoughts
No matter whether you’re planning the menu for your next dim sum party or simply brainstorming for next week’s dinner, Chinese BBQ pork is a great choice. It is easy to prepare ahead of time. It tastes great served either fresh out of the oven or cold. And you can use the leftovers to create so many other delicious dishes.
More delicious pork recipes
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Chinese Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs
- Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
- Mom’s Best Braised Pork Ribs
- Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork, 叉烧肉)
Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 lbs (1 kg) pork tenderloin (or pork loin)
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoon garlic , grated
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 drops red food coloring (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons maltose (or honey)
Instructions
- (Optional) If you’re using pork loin, cut the pork along the grain, into 2 strips about 2” (6 cm) wide and 1”(3 cm) thick. Skip this step if using tenderloin.
- Prepare the marinade and the glaze the day before you cook.
Marinade
- In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, molasses, garlic, five spice powder, salt, and food coloring (if using). Stir to mix well.
- Transfer the pork into a large ziplock bag. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixed sauce into the bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Massage the bag a few times so the pork pieces are covered evenly with the sauce. Transfer to the fridge and marinate overnight (highly recommended), or for at least 6 hours.
Prepare the Glaze
- Microwave the maltose for 20 seconds or so, until the top loosens. Do NOT touch the maltose with your fingers. It’s very hot once it’s heated. Grease your tablespoon with a thin layer of oil. Transfer 2 tablespoons of maltose into a small saucepan. The oil coating on the spoon will help the maltose to fall into the pan without stuck on the spoon.
- Add the rest mixed sauce into the same pan. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently to melt the maltose, until brought to a simmer. Turn to medium low heat. Cook for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
- Once done, let the sauce cool for at least 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the sauce into a heat-proof mason jar or container. Let cool for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and transfer into the fridge. The sauce will continue to thicken once chilled.
Roasting
- When the pork is marinated and the glaze is chilled, you’re ready to cook.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 C). Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil and add 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) water. Place a grilling rack on top. (Alternatively, you can grill the pork as well)
- Transfer the pork onto the grilling track. Drizzle a few tablespoons marinating liquid onto the pork. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Baste the pork, using a brush to dab the glaze onto the top side. Turn to the other side and dab glaze on top. Bake for 5 minutes.
- Baste the top of the pork, and bake for another 5 minutes. Once done, you can check the doneness by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the pork. It should read at least 145 F (63 C). Return the pork to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or so if needed.
- Turn on the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes. Flip the pork to baste the other side. Broil for another 3 minutes. The pork should look glossy, lightly charred, and cooked through.
- Once the pork is done, brush it with the rest of the glaze. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- You can serve the pork hot over rice as a main dish, or at room temperature as a cold appetizer. It’s super delicious either way.
Storage & other uses
- You can use the char siu drippings and meat to make char siu gravy (served with homemade scallion biscuits).
- You can use leftover char siu to make char siu fried noodles, char siu fried rice, and char siu buns (recipes coming soon!)
- To store the char siu, place it in a sealed container or bag and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Nutrition
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
The original recipe was published on Jan 25, 2016 and updated by Oct 16, 2019.
This recipe was outstanding! I had almost 2 lbs of pork shoulder, which I sliced into 3/4″ steaks. Made only 1/2 of the sauce recipe, and it was plenty. I did not use the food coloring and used honey instead of maltose. The sauce stuck to the meat just fine and gave it a glow but was not overly sticky. Very easy to make and much better than store bought!
This is my third batch of Char Sui for Pork Buns in the past 45 days. The last buns went so fast I didn’t get even one – and there’s only 3 of us. Soooo in this batch of pork I included 2 TBL of Thai Hot Chili Oil in order to slow down those immature pallets. This recipe is a huge winner. Thanks again Chef Zhu.
I only have access to Mirin, will that work? Should I alter the amount of sugar?
If you use Mirin, you should reduce the sugar, maybe use 3 tablespoons instead.
This recipe was great. Easy to make and so delicious.
Careful attention in the last bastings makes all the difference. Shaoxing wine is essential, I think. The recipe looks difficult but the preparation is quite easy. This is my first time to make it and it turned out as good as what I get at the local Chinese restaurant. I used pork shoulder, and honey instead of maltose. I also used Maggie’s recipe for Hoisin Sauce. Delicious!
So happy to hear you like the dish and thanks for leaving a positive review 🙂
I love char siu pork in the restaurant. Whenever I’ve tried to make at home, I have been disappointed in the taste of store bought hoison sauce. Do you have a fresh delicious recipe for that?
I do have one: http://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-hoisin-sauce
What hoisin sauce did you use? I’ve tried a few brands from Asian markets and some are quite decent.
Maggie, I consider this to be the gold standard of authentic Char Siu. I’ve tried the others from “the others” and none can match the flavour and texture compared to yours. Now if I could somehow motivate myself to make the Bao dough recipe, I’d be back on Pell Street gorging myself on the Char Siu Bao from Mee Sum Cafe!!
How do I make it in the airfryer,?
I just posted an air fryer char siu recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/air-fryer-char-siu-pork/
Recipe was great. I did add a couple non-traditional ingredients, 1T finely chopped ginger and 1T gochugang for a touch of heat. A splash of beet juice added enough red tint too. Topping my Singapore noodles tonight!
They are a bit non-traditional but it sounds so good! I’d love to add those for my char siu pork the next time 🙂
It’s good to know that beet juice works just as well.
I made this last year around Christmas time with sliced pork loin, so this year I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make this again when I found 2 tenderloins on sale for $10CAD!! Absolutely delicious recipe and I can’t wait to make char siu bao with the bamboo steamer I received for Christmas this year.
This was a hit for me with my picky family. I did cut the amount of 5-spice powder to 1/2 tsp. My daughter has a sharp nose, so with only 1/2 tsp, she didn’t notice it.
Maggie, this recipe is great! I’ve tried several other recipes and all of your recipes are easy and wonderful.
Always by far the best recipes! Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be ordering a copy of your cookbook.
This recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it I have Chinese thick soy sauce (it has molasses as the first ingredient). Can I use that in this recipe, and how much should I use? Thank you.
I wouldn’t use thick soy sauce because it would make the dish very sweet. By using it, you will need to change the rest of the ingredients. I don’t know the measurement without testing it out.
Made this last night. No maltose, I subbed honey, so the glaze wasn’t quite a sticky and glossy as it is in my favorite dim sum place, but the flavors were absolutely spot-on. Please keep the great recipes coming!
Question: can the pork marinade longer than 24 hours? I put it to marinate today but can’t cook it til day after tomorrow. Thanks!
That’s totally fine! I marinate the pork in the fridge for over a day too and I like how it turns out 🙂
Excellent Recipe. Very tasty and tender. I used it in Singapore Vermicelli. I followed it exactly (substituted honey for maltose) and it turned out perfectly. Next time I will try grilling it for extra bbque flavour and perhaps eliminate the FIVE SPICE spice, as I was not fond of that particular background flavor.
Either way, it’s definitely a « do again » recipe.
Are you basting with the marinade in between the glaze applications? Or basting with the glaze the entire time?
I only baste with the glaze the entire time. It will make the glaze stick better.
This is SO GOOD! We made it with pork butt, and it turned out tender, juicy, and utterly delicious. One bite and I was in food heaven!
The BEST char SIU I have ever eaten.
So happy to hear you like the recipe and thanks for leaving a positive review! 🙂